14 February 2025
Dear Parents and Carers,
I met up at the weekend with a friend from school who I hadn’t seen in quite some time, and we got to reminiscing about the good old days of our youth! We talked about scrapes and mischief we had got up to at school and we spoke about the teachers who had had the greatest impact on us. Some of those teachers had a significant effect on not only my educational journey, but also on shaping my values, my self-belief and my confidence. I often reflect on the impact of very small interactions on children; what can be an insignificant moment to a teacher can leave a lasting impact on a child, and I try very hard not to forget this. When teachers engage with students in positive and supportive ways, it has enduring effects on both their academic performance and emotional well-being.
What teachers don’t always share with parents is the impact of positive interactions from their children on us. These moments can have a profound and uplifting effect on the teachers themselves. We recently did a teacher survey in school where one of the questions was “A student brightened my day recently by…”. When reading these comments I thought, what better way to end the week than by sharing with you a few of those responses of how your children have brightened our days in school:
“Saying good morning as they entered the classroom”
“Approaching me to share a joke that made me laugh”
“Asking how I was doing”
“Having such lovely manners, always appreciated”
“Picking some rubbish up from the corridor without being asked”
“After getting a question correct in Maths they shouted, “Miss I am a genius! I’m a new woman!”
“Saying thank you at the end of the lesson”
“Saying they really enjoyed my lesson after struggling in the past week”
“Telling me they had finally understood a difficult concept at after school revision – she was beaming!”
“Telling me they’d had a word with themselves over the weekend and then working really hard during the lesson”
“Their passion and enthusiasm”
“Handing things out without being asked”
“Holding the door for me”
“Writing a teacher appreciation card which is now stuck to my computer screen so I can read it multiple times a day to remind me why I am here!”
We are very lucky that these small moments happen every day in our school; they make the job even more worthwhile.
Have a lovely weekend filled with positive interactions with your children – I hope they make you smile too!
Mrs McFadden
What is my child learning?
In the Learning section of our website, you can find guidance on what every student at the school is studying. As well as an overview of our curriculum and principles behind it, you can find an overview of each subject area.
You can also find Assessment Calendars, and a guide to the content being covered in every subject and how you can support your child for each half term here:
Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | Year 10 | Year 11 | Year 12 | Year 13
Year 10 Business
This week our Year 10 Business students were set a challenge which required them to work for SnapChat (social media) to collaborate with a brand of their choice. Students needed to explore the brand, identify their demographic and consider how that brand would align with SnapChat.
Students then produced a marketing campaign. The campaign looked at data from similar brands, growth patterns and engagement across the platform as well as sales revenue and brand image. Students produced a slide-deck which they presented to the group, a digital advert and a prototype!
We watch The Apprentice as part of our weekly homework, and I have got to say - I'm backing my Year 10s every time.
The standard of work and final output was superb, their digital marketing, editing and market research was above and beyond. Were you one of the people interviewed in the market place with a sausage roll microphone? Did you see a student dressed head-to-toe in a Greggs suit made entirely of carboard? Or were you asked to become a Roblox character?
Well done Year 10 - Excellent business skills!
Miss Forbes
Subject Leader for Business & Computing
Geography Department Earthquake Proof Building Challenge
Year 9 students have been combining their Geography, DT and Maths knowledge and skills to take on the role of a civil engineers this week.
The challenge: Students had to design and build models of earthquake-proof buildings and then test their models to assess how well the building stands up to ground motion during a simulated earthquake.
The winner was the team with the tallest building that survived the earthquake. Teams had to meet a brief, research the problem and work with limited time and resources before evaluating the whole process.
A fantastic effort from everyone with a high number of successful builds - well done Year 9!
Ms Colquitt
Geography Department
Drama Extra-Curricular
Due to the Year 13 mock examinations starting Monday 17th February:
- Technical theatre Club on Tuesday 18th is in EN7.
- Year 9 drama club on Wed 19th is in EN7
- Year 7 and 8 drama club is cancelled on Thursday 20th as there is no other venue, and will resume after half term on Thursday 6th March.
Ms Ayrey
Subject Lead for Drama
PE News
On Tuesday our U15 girls’ cricket team were at the Beacon of Light for the area tournament. We started with three comfortable victories. We then faced Conyers for a place in the final. This was an outstanding game which went down to the last ball. We batted first and scored 66 runs. Unfortunately, they reached our total with one ball to spare meaning we just missed out on a place in the final.
Also on Tuesday, we hosted the county Year 7 girls’ futsal finals. There were some high-quality close matches but we remained unbeaten to qualify for the regional final on goal difference.
On Wednesday our U13 boys’ handball team travelled to Hermitage for the County finals. Two schools dropped out, so it came down to a tense final against the hosts. The tournament ended with us tied for first place, so we played a five-minute final. We held our nerve to reach the northern Regional finals with a 5-4 victory. Toby R was POT.
During the afternoon our VIth form football team were at Whitburn School for a League and Cup double. We won 3-2 to progress to the League cup final in April, and also remain unbeaten and top of the league. Goals from Harry S and Ini K. POM was Alex W.
Finally on Wednesday, our Year 7 boys’ futsal team took part in the County final. We started with a 5-3 victory but unfortunately eventually finished runners-up after losing to a strong team from Hurworth.
Yesterday our Year 8 netball team were at Durham High for the area tournament. After a great afternoon of netball, we finished runners-up only losing to Durham School and the hosts.
Also yesterday, our Year 11 boys’ football team travelled to King James for a County Cup quarter final. We battled well showing great determination and maturity to reach the semi-final with a well-deserved 3-1 victory. Two goals from James O and one from Olly B. POM was Will J.
During the afternoon we welcomed Xaverian College, Manchester for a last 16 game in the U19 girls English Schools Cup. We started strongly and took a 11-0 lead. However, they gradually got back into the game. We kept it close until the final quarter, but they pulled away eventually winning 61-43. It was an outstanding game. Libby C was POM.
Finally, to complete a busy day we hosted the Year 9 girls’ South Durham County futsal final. We faced High Tunstall and dominated the game going on to reach the regional final with a straightforward 9-2 win.
Mr Hopper
Subject Leader for PE
A reminder of our weekly sports bulletin:
Sports Bulletin
